The Boy Next Door
by kaesaku
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke, honor student, graduating high school senior & candidate for a scholarship at the best university had his life perfectly mapped out... Until his new neighbor messes it all up, perfectly. AU, NaruSasuNaru.
1. Prologue: Collide

**kaesaku: **Yo. So, uhm, basically, I'm a newbie at Naruto fics.. so there. Anyway, this one's based on the movie "The Girl Next Door", starring Elisha Cuthbert. Cool movie. Hot chick.

Oh, and the chapter titles that I will use in this fic are actually song titles. So, each chappie was somewhat inspired by a song whose title I will use. It'll be better if you listen to the song while reading it. Hehe.. ;p

**Warning: **This fic contains yaoi, boy-on-boy stuff. So, if you don't like it, I suggest you click the back button. It's NaruSasu or SasuNaru, err, whatever. Naruto and Sasuke in this fic. Gah.

**Disclaimer:** I don't'own "The Girl Next Door". I don't own Naruto and the characters in the manga/series. If I did, Itachi's nail polish would have been pink.

"**The Boy Next Door"**

**by** **kaesaku**

**PROLOGUE: Collide**

"…_even the best fall down sometimes,_

_even_ _the wrong words seem to rhyme,_

_out_ _of the doubt that fills your mind,_

_you_ _finally find you and I collide…"_

_-_Collide, Howie Day

"Party tonight at Kiba's place!"

A voice rang in the classroom and was instantly followed by excited chatters of everyone in it.

A certain dark-haired boy tuned out the noise and instead, concentrated on the couple of index cards scattered on his desk.

"Hey, Sasuke."

He heard his name and turned to the direction it came from.

"Chouji. What do you want?" The dark-haired boy looked slightly annoyed for being disturbed.

"You goin' to the party?" The boy who approached his desk asked as he tried to open the pack of potato chips in his hand. The dark-haired boy grabbed the chips from the slightly heavier boy named Chouji.

"You already had 4 of these," he muttered and placed the chips on his desk. "And, no, I'm not going. You, of all people, should know that."

"Aww…" Chouji grimaced. "So what if that's my fifth! They're fat-free!" he argued as he tried to pry the chips, all in vain. "And for god's sake, we have a _month_ before we graduate. We should at least go to _one_ party!"

The dark-haired boy placed the chips in his bag and shuffled the index cards in his hand. He glared at Chouji.

"Right, the speech… I got it…" Chouji rolled his eyes. "But, Sasuke, you've been working on that speech for two months already! I'm sure you'll be so good in delivering it, as always, and you'll get the friggin' university scholarship!"

The dark-haired boy sighed. "Two and a half months, actually." He started to clean up the things on his desk. "The point is, this _friggin_' scholarship is really important and I can't risk any party or event to deter my concentration from this speech."

"Ah, yes! It is such a wonderful sight to behold whenever young people put their energies to things that are of more worth!" The dark-haired boy didn't even take the time to glance up from his index cards to know who said that.

Chouji rolled his eyes again. "Thanks a lot, Lee! Now you blew any chance of going to the party!"

And as his two friends continued to argue the pros and cons of teenage socialization, Uchiha Sasuke found himself tuning out the noises again.

- o -

He went home that day, a little tired and annoyed that everyone seemed to make a big fuss out of every party thrown lately. Sure, they were high school seniors, but was it that of a big deal to go to every damn party thrown before they graduate? He had better things to do than that.

Like the scholarship he wanted to get. Konoha University is a prestigious university and their school is giving one lucky student a chance to study there. All expense paid. Four were chosen and that included him. Before graduation, a dinner/seminar will be held and the four candidates will each give a speech in front of the faculty, the Admissions Committee, and all the other important people from the university. Then, the Admissions Committee will choose who among them is most suitable for scholarship.

Of course, he knew it was going to be him.

In a couple of weeks, he's going to be a proud scholar of Konoha University, while all his other classmates would have nothing but a memory of that kickin' party they went to.

How pathetic.

- o -

"Oh, hi, Sasuke. How was school?"

"Good, Mom," he answered.

"Well, how's the speech you're working on?"

"It's perfect, Dad. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, you know we won't, Sasuke," his father heartily patted him at the back.

He gave a small smile. "I'm gonna go to my room now."

As he went up to his room, he found himself face-to-face with the most annoying person ever born.

"Hey, loser."

"Don't you have something to destroy? Like the new car, perhaps?"

"Aww… My baby brother's growing his sense of humor…"

"Get lost, Itachi," he growled then slammed the door.

Later, that night, he found out that he was the one who will take out the trash, which was surprisingly, Itachi's chore for the day. No matter how screwed up his brother is, the fact still remains that he is _the_ favorite. Which basically entails that his brother could get away with almost anything.

Including taking out the trash.

As he walked towards the bin, he saw a bright orange Volkswagen parked in front of the unoccupied house beside them.

_New neighbors,_ he thought disinterestedly.

The passenger got out of the car, a bag slung on his shoulders, holding a couple of boxes. It was a guy, slightly taller than him, with striking blonde hair and blue eyes.

And he was gorgeous.

The guy noticed him, stared, then smirked. Before Sasuke could react, he bumped to the bin, bags of trash falling ungracefully to the sidewalk.

Sasuke picked up the trash bags and dumped them unceremoniously to the bin. He turned his head, side to side, checking if anyone saw his little blunder. So far, he was safe.

Well, except for that cocky-looking, smug-faced blonde neighbor who knew that _this_ was going to happen.

He felt his blood boil. _How dare he embarrass me in my own turf?_ He felt his face redden from anger or embarrassment, he wasn't quite sure. He briskwalked towards his house, not even risking a second look at the used-to-be unoccupied house beside theirs.

He quickly went up to his room and was still clearly in shock at what happened.

_The nerve of that guy!_

He can still see the smirk on the blonde's face. He glared at the window across from his, as if the action could instantly burn the house in flames. Instead of a fire, though, a light appeared and the window across was suddenly occupied.

It was the cocky-looking, smug-faced blonde neighbor. He just had to be the one who stayed in the room across him. Oh, joy.

Sasuke continued his mental voodoo. In his mind, he made the blonde run towards the window and flung himself at it. Apparently, his mental voodoo did not work as the blonde did not fling himself at the window, but rather, started unbuttoning his shirt.

Hell, no.

Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up. _I am so not witnessing this._ But, he was glued to his window sill, eyes refusing to look away. So, yeah, the guy was undeniably hot. But that does not deny the fact that he's still an obnoxious jerk who liked to embarrass people.

Sasuke winced at the thought that he was embarrassed by the new guy. Twice. The first one was intentional and the second, well, he didn't even have an idea.

His face flushed even more at the thought of what that could have meant and shoved it instantly at the back of his mind. Now, if only he could shove himself away from the evil window…

And just as he was gaining the strength to look away, the button-up shirt was discarded and Sasuke was presented with a full upper frontal view of the blonde, complete with abs and a tattoed belly.

Hell, no.

_I am so not enjoying this, _he muttered to himself, still glued to the window. He looked around the room to see if anyone saw him peeping, which was unlikely, of course, since he was alone. But he can't help feeling that the life-size poster of Bruce Lee was glaring condescendingly at him.

Having freed himself from the shirt, the blonde started taking off the last articles of clothing left: his pants and whatever that was underneath it.

Sasuke wasn't _just _glued anymore. He stopped functioning altogether. Everything else in that little room of his froze. His breath caught in his throat and his mind stopped producing coherent thoughts when the pants were thrown on the bed. By the time the blonde was down to his boxers, Sasuke felt like he was going to have a first-hand experience in human combustion. And since his mind had stopped the production of coherent thoughts, he had no idea what that meant.

Something caught the blonde's eye at the top of his bed, so he made a move to look at it, which robbed Sasuke of the _nice_ view. In a way, it might have been fortunate (or was it unfortunate?) timing, because just then, the blonde pulled down his boxers.

Sasuke's eyes bulged. Incoherent thoughts bid their goodbyes as he was presented with the full backside view of the blonde.

Oh, yeah. It was full.

And since his mind was left with nothing but the impulse to gawk and ogle the boy across from his window, his reflexes were a bit slow and he did not notice the blond turning his head towards his window, _his room_, until his eyes saw nothing but blue.

The boy next door caught him.

He quickly scrambled to hide under the window, although he knew that he was obviously caught red-handed. His heart started to pound, his head throbbed, and he knew he wasn't frozen anymore. He silently contemplated hiding under the bed, like that would help him. In the middle of his panic-stricken moment, he stopped, took a deep breath, and realized something. It was an accident!

Like hell he would peep at an undressing neighbor. He wasn't like that. Uchiha Sasuke was NOT like that. The idiot neighbor was doing it again, embarrassing him at his own turf. He probably did that on purpose. Who strips in front of an open window, anyway?

A bang of a door interrupted his thoughts and he unconsciously looked out the window. The room across his was engulfed in darkness again, no blonde in sight. To his horror, he saw said blonde walking through the pathway. Towards his house.

_What the hell is he doing?_

A doorbell was the answer. This time, Sasuke really did want to hide under his bed.

"Sasuke?" He heard his dad call out. "Come down here for a second."

Being the obedient boy that he was, he went albeit hesitantly. He stopped midway in his steps.

There at the foot of the staircase was his dad, his mom, and that damn blonde.

"What were you doing?" his dad inquired.

A number of possible answers went through his head, but he gave the safest (or stupidest) answer he could think of…

"Nothing."

He thanked whatever gods present for not having his older brother down there with them. That bastard could see through every lie he makes.

Sasuke looked at the blonde who looked evenly at him. He officially hated the guy.

_What does he think he's doing?_

"This is Uzumaki Naruto," his father started, breaking through his thoughts. "Did you know that his aunt is away for the weekend?"

"No," Sasuke answered. _And do I look I care?_ How the hell could he know? He only peeped at the guy, not conversed with him. He mentally kicked himself at the unexpected admission.

"Well, since he's new here," his father smiled, "Why don't you show him around town?" His mother beamed at the idea.

_Are you crazy?_ He felt like screaming. He turned to the blonde who was grinning happily at his parents.

_He's doing this on purpose._

The blonde faced him, the grin disappearing and was replaced with that smug-looking smirk he saw earlier by the trash bin.

It took every ounce of Sasuke's self-control to stop himself from blurting out, "It's an accident!" Judging from the look on the blonde's face, though, he doubted that the blonde would believe him.

Then he felt it again. That annoying surge of embarrassment, of being unsure. It had been a while since he last felt that and he have to thank that annoying boy next door for releasing those stupid..feelings. Oh, he will get the blonde for that. If he wants war, he's gonna get it.

No one messes with Uchiha Sasuke.

**- tbc -**


	2. Chapter 1: Cute Without The E

**Please Read:**

Just a note, I was supposed to post this last Saturday, since I finished writing this chapter last Wednesday… Due to the surprisingly _very_ destructive storm, _Milenyo,_ our country experienced last September 28, it got delayed. The storm lasted for a few hours that Thursday, but a lot of the affected regions experienced massive power failure for almost 5 days, including our city. It was really horrible. Billboards wrecked vehicles in the highways, trees got uprooted, lakes/rivers/bays overflowed… There were landslides and flashfloods… Horrible. At least two hundred people died and some are still missing… Thousands were left homeless and billions were lost on property damage. I felt ashamed of myself for bitchin' about our 5-day blackout and loss of cable tv, because somewhere in the country, people did not just lose their electricity but their homes, and others, their lives. I know there's not much I could do, but I hope I raised some awareness among the readers.

Let's hope that a tragedy like this won't happen again anytime soon. And if it does (inevitably, I know it will), I hope everyone will be prepared.

**kaesaku: **I made a major blunder… This fic was inspired by one of Taking Back Sunday's songs. Unfortunately, I got the song and the title mixed up. I was thinking of the song "You're So Last Summer", but the title that came to my mind was "Cute Without the E", hence, the chapter title. Gah. I hate my stupidity. It's just that the former song inspired this chappie and yet the latter's title seemed to be the most fit for it… I know, ramblings… Shutting up.

Huge thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. This is my first Naruto fic, so you guys mean a lot. Special mention to **sadistickiss- **well, I did base it on the movie.. so it will turn out _that_ way.. 'hope you won't get too disappointed.. just don't tell that bitty info to those who haven't watched it yet.. tnx! hehe.. and **Reyn- **you don't have to hide under a rock.. I actually appreciate that you told me I messed up some of my tenses. Made me more aware when I wrote the next chappie.. hehe..

**Warnings: **Yaoi. NaruSasuNaru. Sasuke-centric ('cuz it's fun messing up with minds of broody-angsty-emo biatches…). OOC-ness. Birthday suit exposure. Flashing.

**Disclaimer: **"The Girl Next Door" is not mine. Naruto is not mine. If it was, his tattooed belly would've been exposed more often.

**Chapter 1: Cute Without the E**

"…_and all I need to know _

_is that I'm something you'll be missing,_

_maybe I should hate you for this,_

_never really did ever quite get that far…"_

- You're So Last Summer, Taking Back Sunday

They have been driving around for a couple of minutes and yet, not one of the two passengers of that hideously colored Volkswagen had uttered a single word.

Uchiha Sasuke, who had been living his life quite normally a few minutes ago, found himself in the weirdest predicament his 18 years of life had ever encountered.

_What's going on?_

Apparently, that was the question for the night ever since his eyes laid on the blonde idiot who was behind the wheel.

Charcoal eyes glared at the blonde. The guy who had started this nightmare, and to think that they have only met for 30 minutes or so.

His mind started to whirl and he felt dizzy as he recalled the serried of unfortunate events that happened just a few minutes ago. He started to feel angry, confused and humiliated. This guy was up to no good and Sasuke's going to make him pay.

He started to open his mouth to give the blonde a piece of his mind. After all, he was good in verbal spats. Sasuke could really be a monster when it came to talking down to someone.

Unfortunately, the monster still seemed to be suffering from the aftermath of the impromptu (and most definitely, unexpected) 'exhibition'. Still in shock, so to speak.

_Think, Sasuke. _He mentally kicked himself. _Think. Then talk, goddammit._

The insults should be overflowing now, but he made a mistake of taking a _good_ look at the guy beside him. Instead of thinking up of curses and foul words, his mind thought of how blonde his hair was, how blue his eyes were and how those distinct scars, amidst all the innocence his face radiated, gave off a dangerous aura to him.

"So…"

Sasuke blinked from his stupor. The blonde was talking. Defenses up.

"…liked what you saw back there?" the blonde asked, his voice laced with the same smugness his smirk emitted.

It took a lot of self-control for the Uchiha not to pummel the other boy down. He thought that it wouldn't have been a good idea anyway since the blonde was driving and Sasuke did not want to die with the idiot.

The blonde turned to look at him with those blue eyes and before Sasuke knew it, the worst possible thing to say came out of his lips.

"It was an accident!"

Oh yes, nothing beats denial and defensiveness in making someone look like the worst possible liar to grace the world.

The car turned to a dark alley & abruptly stopped. Sasuke almost bumped his head.

"Accident. Riiight." The blonde faced Sasuke. "How will your parents feel if they found out that their little boy was peeking at other people's windows?"

That did it.

"Idiot! I told you, it was an accident! What were you doing taking your clothes off with an open window, anyway? Oh, and you think you're gonna blackmail me with that? You think my parents are gonna believe you? They've known you, for what, 3 seconds? So don't talk shit! You don't know me!" Sasuke rambled, almost losing his breath.

The blonde still look unfazed, hardly affected by Sasuke's tirade. Rather, he looked a _bit _mischievous, like he's got more tricks under his sleeve.

"Yeah, I might not know you, but I do know you have a brother. Your mom did mention him back at your house…"

Sasuke froze.

"…now, maybe he would want _that_ blackmail material…"

Sasuke could not believe his ears. He really, really hated the guy. How could someone he just met cause such havoc in such a short time? The guy was fighting dirty. He knew it was an accident. He knew Sasuke didn't mean to peek at him. But here he was, in all his blonde glory, proclaiming to sell blackmail material to his equally evil brother whom the idiot haven't even met yet. Life was unfair.

"What made you think I'm scared of my brother? Go on, tell him. I don't care," Sasuke hissed dangerously.

"Sure, you don't."

But Sasuke did. This was his brother they're talking about. The man who would go to great lengths just to see him stumble and fall and never get up again. He would surely grab this opportunity, just to piss Sasuke off, or probably destroy his life. After all, that was his brother's specialty, destruction. And with his graduation and scholarship speech near, Sasuke wanted to ensure that nothing untoward will happen to him and blew his chance of making it big. In short, picture perfect.

He didn't say anything, but continued to glare at the other boy. The blonde seemed to read what his eyes were telling.

The blonde grinned. A silent understanding was reached.

"I won't tell your brother. I won't even tell your parents."

"Fine. What do you want me to do?"

The blonde chuckled. "You catch up fast, don't you? Makes it easier."

"Just get on with it."

The blonde laughed. "Okay, okay." He straightened himself and turned serious. "An eye for an eye."

Sasuke swore his eyeballs popped out from their sockets. "You can't be serious. You can't make me-"

"Look," the blonde interrupted. "You wanted us to get this over with, right? Just do as I say, and after that, we'll forget anything ever happened. We'll start over with a clean slate." Then, he added with a giggle, "Like we had amnesia or something."

That was stupid.

This was stupid.

The whole thing's stupid.

Well, what do you expect from someone stupid?

Sasuke refrained to fan himself, but he sure needed fresh air at the moment.

_He wants me to… No. Fucking. Way._

Someone wise said desperate times call for desperate measures. And Uchiha Sasuke was desperate. This should never ever get out and the blonde promised that if he do that _one_ thing, then everything'll be all over. Like nothing happened.

That was what he wanted, right? For every embarrassing detail to be erased. Come to think of it, it may be a good bargain. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, he did peek at the guy intentionally. It was only fair that the blonde demand for this.

But then again, who cares about fairness? This was a matter of pride. And Sasuke had loads of those! If he did what the blonde wanted, it'll be like acknowledging that he had some sort of power over the Uchiha and that can't be good.

_Think, Sasuke. Think._

"I knew it."

Sasuke blinked. "Huh?"

"You're a sissy. A coward. Either that or you have an ugly butt and you don't want me to see it."

In a flash, clothes were taken off and a boxer-clad Uchiha stormed out of the car. He stomped in front of the vehicle, his arms crossed.

No one calls an Uchiha a coward. No one.

"I'm not a coward," he icily said, his internal battle about pride completely forgotten.

The headlights flashed. He shielded his eyes from the blinding light directed to him.

A blonde head popped out of the window. "I thought I said, 'An eye for an eye'? You didn't see me in my boxers, y'know…"

There's no turning back now. He was already there, almost bare complete with spotlight, and all he needed to do was pull down his boxers and they're done with the deal.

He saw the blonde's ass, he show him his. End.

So he did. He turned away from the light and pulled down his boxers. It was in that moment that he decided to be stupid. Maybe it was because he was nervous or maybe he was angry or confused, whatever it was, it made him lose his sensibility as evidenced by the boxers that were taken off. Completely. It landed on the damp ground of the deserted street.

"There! Happy?"

It was over. It was all over. He did his part and now, no one will ever speak of this incident again. The nightmare was over.

He heard the engine of the orange Volkswagen come to life.

Maybe the nightmare had just begun.

The car moved and before Sasuke could react, a hand grabbed his discarded boxers.

"Nyahaha! Run for it, neighbor!"

It took a moment before his legs moved and he ran in lightning speed when they did. He pounded the window of the car.

"Stop the car, goddammit!"

Loud laughter was his only answer.

He was appalled. He should've known better than to trust the blonde idiot. The guy did play dirty.

"Stop!" He banged on the car.

Good thing it was a deserted street. But with the amount of noise they were making, someone was bound to notice them. Unfortunately, the street the blonde turned to had an old couple standing by.

Sasuke wanted to melt. He hid his face with his hands, only to realize that by doing that, he was presenting them with a clear view of his family jewels.

"Oh, god," he muttered trying to fit his face into his right hand and his private parts into his left.

Fortunately, the car came to a halt and he quickly scrambled to the passenger's seat. The driver was still laughing.

"You're an asshole!"

The blonde snorted as he tried to stop himself from laughing. "Now that's good entertainment!" He guffawed again. "Putting that aside, I believe we haven't been formally introduced." He offered his hand. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke wanted to kill him.

- o -

The car stopped in front of a small restaurant.

"I want to go home."

"Aww, Sasuke…" a voice whined. "But we just got here! I'm really, really hungry and I think this is a good place to eat! Look, they serve ramen…" He pointed at the glass window of the restaurant. "Besides, it's your duty to show me around town…"

A fully-clothed Sasuke crossed his arms and looked away.

"Sasukeee… Are you still mad with what happened?"

"Shut up."

"Aww, c'moooonn! It was funny!"

"It was NOT."

"I was a _little_ funny." Giggle.

Sasuke's eyebrows twitched. "You played dirty! You lied, you-"

"You have your whole life to get back at me, then!" the other boy pacified him. "Well, that is unless one of us moves away from this town, right?"

Sasuke still didn't budge.

"Sasukeeee… Let's eat! My treat! Then you can figure out ways to make me pay for that, uhm, flashing you did tonight. Ahehehe…"

Sasuke threw him a cold glare. "You're not gonna shut up, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Fine!"

He got out of the car and slammed the door. They then entered the restaurant, he and the boy-next-door, Uzumaki Naruto.

They settled into a booth and ordered their meals. When the waitress appeared with their food, Uzumaki Naruto quickly chowed down his, while Sasuke found his mind wandering again.

He stole a glance at the loud idiot across him. For some reason, something was stopping him from totally erasing the boy's existence from the world. What he did to sasuke was unacceptable. If it were anyone else, they'd be found in some ditch with no recollection of who they were. So, what's stopping him from beating the boy down to his death? Maybe, so that he'd live longer to be tortured longer. After all, one beating can't make up for what he did. Yeah, that's it.

Sasuke tried to push all the other possible reasons at the back of his mind.

"Yummy! This ramen's great!" Naruto gushed. "What's the name of this place again?"

"Ichiraku's."

"Waaaahh! I'm in love with this place!" the blonde boy exclaimed before he gobbled up his bowl of ramen.

Sasuke continued to watch him. Strange. As much as the situation embarrassed him, he wasn't as angry as he thought he should be. There was something about the boy, Naruto, something different. Sasuke felt at ease with him. And he _never_ felt that with people he just met. Heck, he never even felt that with people he knew all his life.

"Oi, Sasuke. If you don't eat that now, it'll be cold."

The dark-haired boy glared at the blonde, but placed a chopstick-full of noodles on his mouth, albeit grudgingly.

Maybe it was because Naruto saw his worst that night, and yet, he didn't think lowly of him. He saw Sasuke ran butt-naked and he had a few laughs, but after that, he was still Uchiha Sasuke, the next-door neighbor. No more, no less.

He didn't think of the image, of the reputation. Maybe he didn't even care. All Naruto showed that night was that he had fun.

And Sasuke, as much as he hated to admit it, felt that, too.

He had never felt so unrestrained, so free. He did a stupid thing and it felt good because he did not have to hear a judgment or a criticism from anyone. It felt good for once to not be _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, honor student and almost-perfect son, but rather, _just_ Sasuke, the guy who accidentally peeked at an unsuspecting neighbor and flashed around town.

"I'm sooo full!" Naruto said as he patted his tummy.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Whatever the hell those thought meant, he still hated the guy. After all, he did blackmail him to do those stupid things.

"Sasukeee… Are you still mad?"

The dark-hairde boy rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, it was a _little_ funny!" Naruto insisted. "Man, you should've seen the looks on the old couple's faces! It was a cross between scandalized and wanting to look more!"

"Not if you're the one causing those looks!"

Naruto continued to laugh. "That would have been the best part! Imagine, you have the power to make them react that way!"

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. _This guy's seriously whacked._

"So, Sasuke," Naruto grinned. "Tell me more about yourself."

"Now, why would I want to do that?"

"Well, because…"

"That was a rhetorical question," Sasuke snapped.

Naruto blinked. Then, he laughed in that loud and annoying way again.

"You're cute, y'know that?"

It was Sasuke's turn to blink. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're cute. Too bad you're deaf," the blonde snickered causing Sasuke to blush. "It really doesn't matter if you won't tell me about yourself. I'd just pester you everyday! After all, we are next-door neighbors! Nyahaha!" he exclaimed happily with a peace sign on his hand.

If it weren't for keeping his pride intact, the Uchiha would have poked the laughing idiot's eyes with his chopsticks just to shut him up.

"Are you retarded?"

"Who- me?" Naruto pointed to himself.

"No, doofus. I was talking to the bowl of ramen!" Sasuke pointed to the bowl, which ensued another bout of laughter from the blonde. A vein throbbed on his temple.

Home. Bed. Sleep.

There was only one way to achieve that, and that was to have a civil conversation with the most uncivilized person to ever grace Konoha.

"I'm 18."

"Huh?" Naruto raised his eyebrows in question.

"You said you wanted to know more about me. Since apparently, seeing me run around naked wasn't enough…" Sasuke muttered with his arms crossed.

Naruto nodded. "We're the same age!" Then, "So, you're a high school senior?"

Sasuke grunted in reply.

"What's the craziest thing you've done lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"Y'know, most seniors do at least one crazy thing before they graduate…"

"Well, I'm not like most seniors," Sasuke answered coolly.

"Ah," Naruto said as he leaned back. "So you're _that_ kind of guy…"

The dark-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Y'know, goody-two-shoes… A prude…"

Sasuke felt his face heat up. "So what if I don't go out to parties or do wild things? I have better things to do!"

"Like…?"

"Study!"

"And…?"

"Well," Sasuke begun. For some reason, he didn't want the other boy to think that his whole world revolved around studying, which was the actual truth. It somewhat made him look so… boring.

"And what, Sasuke?"

A cold glare was thrown at the blonde. "I am up for a scholarship at the best university here, so I don't bother with stupid parties," he huffed. "And just so you know, I am raising funds for a smart but poor boy named Konohamaru, who is living in the province. So that we can bring him here and he can study at our school. That's what I do with my senior year!"

"Wow," Naruto said in awe. "That's great."

Sasuke's breathing dropped back to normal. Now that he'd proven to the blonde that he wasn't a prude, rather, he just focused on more important things (than partying), he found himself wondering what the other boy's like.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"I told you stuff about me. It's your turn," he smirked.

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, I'm 18. Just like you."

Sasuke frowned. That's all the blonde was telling him? He decided to prod. "You're gonna transfer to our school?"

"Nah," the blonde wrinkled his nose. "I stopped studying."

Sasuke frowned again as he realized that the blonde was the what-you-ask-what-he-answers type of guy. He decided to give follow-up questions.

"Why?"

It wasn't in Sasuke's nature to inquire, but with the way Naruto seemed to disclose some information about himself, he couldn't help but be curious.

"Well," Naruto toyed with the chopsticks on his bowl. "I got a job, so I quit school. Eventually, I got tired of it, too… So, here I am," he continued. "To start over. Maybe study again or something… I don't know," he shrugged.

"I see."

A gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes as he leaned forward. "Enough about myself, you haven't answered my question yet."

"What question?"

"What's the craziest thing you've done lately?"

Sasuke sighed. "I thought I already did."

Naruto shook his head. "No, you didn't! You just got all defensive on me and reported all your achievements!"

_Do I really need to answer this question?_

The only thing that came to Sasuke's mind was the time he switched Chouji's plate of cheese fries with his Sloppy Joe because it looked so nasty and he was sure Chouji wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That and the time he changed the date on his borrower's card so that the librarian wouldn't charge him with a penalty fee.

Both didn't sound too crazy. Really.

Naruto realized that Sasuke wasn't going to answer anytime soon. He chuckled and eyed Sasuke with mock-seriousness, as he took the pen and a sheet of customer's evaluation paper that was placed on the table.

"Mr. Uchiha, do you know what I think you need?"

An eyebrow was raised.

"A girlfriend. You need a girlfriend."

Sasuke snorted. "I don't _need _a girlfriend. I don't even _want_ a girlfriend."

"Oh, so a boyfriend?"

A faint blush appeared on the pale boy's face. "Wha- No! I didn't say anything about that! I don't need anyone!"

Naruto lightly chuckled as he continued to doodle on the back of the evaluation sheet.

"You do need someone," he said, his eyes never leaving the paper. "You need someone who could make you do things you wouldn't normally do… Someone who could make do crazy stuff," he raised his eyes to meet Sasuke's, "…and love every minute of it."

Sasuke was at loss for words. He couldn't tear his gaze from those blue eyes. Not when they're drowning him and melting him and stripping him off from whatever pretective shield he had covered himself with.

The piece of paper the blonde had been doodling with found its way on Sasuke's side of the table. It was a goofy drawing of Naruto, eyes in ineverted U's, mouth in a toothy grin, hair in its dishelved state and the fingers on his right hand forming a V-shape.

Victory.

- o -

The orange Volkswagen slowed down in front of the Uchiha residence.

"Well, I had fun tonight!" The blonde grinned.

"You weren't the one who ran around naked," the dark-haired boy grumbled as he unbuckled the seatbelt.

Naruto groaned. "Are you still mad at that?"

Sasuke opened the car door without answering, then slammed it real hard.

"Good night to you, too!" Naruto yelled, his voice filled with mirth, before driving away.

It was a bit late, but Sasuke's parents knew were he'd been, so no need for him to act like an estranged fugitive. After all, this was their idea. He opened the door, then locked it from the inside.

If this was what a day with Uzumaki Naruto was like, how would he survive a week? Or a month? Or a year?

He pressed his forehead on the door and headbutted it lightly.

And yet somehow, Sasuke found himself looking forward to it.

**- tbc -**


	3. Chapter 2: First of Summer

**kaesaku: **Yes, it is me. I have continued. BEFORE YOU KILL ME, I hope you'd read this chappie first. So sorry for not updating in, like, 2 years...

REASONS FOR NOT UPDATING:

a. I got a job, which turned out to be toxic.

b. I got a boyfriend, which turned out to be short-lived.

c. I got pregnant by said boyfriend. Since we're already separated, I didn't think it was necessary for him to know. Plus, I'm not the type to impose him of the responsibility. After all, there's a reason why we're not together (and won't ever be). But then, someone mentioned that I should at least inform him. So I did. His reaction was, "I don't think that's mine." Again, I was reminded why we're not together. (and why am I telling this?)

d. I lazed around for 9 months of being pregnant and indulged myself in Bleach and Death Note yaoi fics.

e. I gave birth last October and became a breastfeeder.

f. I got addicted to jdoramas. (err, yeah.)

My kid's 6 months old now and I got someone to take care of her, so I guess I'm gonna have more time writing/updating fics (hopefully). Being a single mom is the most tiring yet fulfilling job anyone can ever have (no shit).

**Warnings:** yaoi, NaruSasu, un-beta-ed, info overload (?)

**Standard disclaimers apply.** I don't own Naruto, The Girl Next Door, Urbandub's First of Summer, and Goldfinger's rendition of More Than yesterday.

**Chapter 2: First of Summer**

_"...drown me away 'cause tonight just feels right,_

_take me away with you tonight,_

_anywhere with you.."_

-First of Summer, Urbandub

Uchiha Sasuke blinked rapidly as the image of his physics teacher bobbed hazily in front of him. He fought the urge to slam his head on the desk and drool happily ever after. Or at least for the next 50 minutes.

He stifled a yawn and turned to the window. Yep, the teacher was right. Physics was everywhere. In the movement of cars, of people...

_GODDAMMIT! Of course not!_ he thought irately.

What were they thinking? Teaching stuff that wouldn't be useful in everyday living... Not all of them are going to be engineers or architects or pilots in the future. Sasuke rolled his eyes. It's not like a car crash can be prevented from knowing the formula of speed.

He watched the school bus as it rolled slowly on the school parking lot. Hearing all that talk about speed, velocity, and acceleration reminded Sasuke of vehicles. Vehicles reminded him of cars. Cars reminded him of a certain, evil, orange bug.

His eyes widened as the slow-moving bus revealed said car, which was parked conveniently in front of his classroom window.

The orange _thing _was glaring at him and its owner, that stupid idiot, was grinning as he waved his hands wildly at Sasuke.

The young Uchiha boy narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He hoped that the blonde idiot was able to understand that as body language for 'Stop that!'.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed like that wasn't the case. The blonde increased his ministrations and was even cupping his hands around his mouth. And Sasuke, the intelligent boy that he was, knew that the idiot resorted to yelling. Yelling was not good. Yelling at a school parking lot while children studied was definitely not good. Yelling equated to public disturbance. And he would be damned if he would be related to the one causing it.

He felt his panic rise. He thought of all the worst possible things the blonde was yelling, like "Uchiha Sasuke ran around town naked the other day!" or... Well, nothing could be worse than that.

Sasuke glanced at the teacher who was writing something at the blackboard, his back to the class. He glanced around the classroom. Everyone was busy writing notes or trying not to fall asleep. With one last look at the orange-ness outside, he swiped his books from his desk and stealthily walked out of class.

Uchiha Sasuke in panic mode never thought clearly.

- o -

"What're you doing here?" he hissed at the blonde.

The other boy grinned. "Why, I thought you would at least be happy I picked you up!"

"School doesn't end in 2 hours!"

"You want me to wait for 2 more hours?!"

"I never said you could pick me up!"

Uzumaki Naruto, the blonde idiot neighbor of his, had the gall to look offended. "If you didn't want me to pick you up, why'd you went out, huh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Because you were creating such a ruckus! I can even see it from my class!" Mumbling, he added, "God knows what obscenities you've been yelling..."

"Oi, I wasn't yelling any obscenities!" Naruto poted. "I just yelled, 'Uchiha Sasuke ran around town naked the other day!'"

Seeing the about-to-faint look sasuke gave him, he quickly said, "I was just joking!"

A hit on the blonde head was the reply.

"Ow..." Naruto rubbed his head.

"Hey, Sasuke..."

"What idiot?"

"Who's that?" He pointed behind Sasuke.

Sasuke turned and suddenly, he wished he was back in his classroom, studying intently (or pretending to study - he memorized the book), and not in the parking lot, talking with an abvious non-student. A loud, attention-grabbing non-student.

Sasuke ducked his head and moved to the passenger side of the car. "That's the Vice Principal, Mr. Orochimaru!"

Ha looked back at the man, Orochimaru, who was getting nearer.

"Unlock the door."

"But school doesn't end in 2 hours!"

"Naruto! Do it!" He almost screamed.

"Okay, okay..."

To Sasuke, it seemed like the blonde boy was taking his sweet time in unlocking the doors.

"Hurry!"

"Don't pressure me! I work slow under pressure!"

The footsteps were near. It was the longest minute in Sasuke's life. Finally, he heard the pop from the door. Salvation. He quickly opened the door and got in. He saw Naruto do the same. He ducked a little and covered his face with his left hand. He seemed to be doing that a lot whenever he was with the blonde.

"Excuse m-" He heard Orochimaru say.

"Sorry, sir! Wrong building!" He heard Naruto yell at the man before speeding off.

"You can stop hiding your face now," Naruto said after a few minutes. "We're out of school grounds already."

Sasuke straight then glared at the other boy. The other boy only grinned, unaffected by the murderous intent on those dark eyes.

"What the hell did you just do?!"

Naruto smiled, like he knew it was coming. "Saving our asses." He grinned again. "And you were the one who screamed, 'Unlock the doors!'"

Sasuke turned red at that particular information. He had his reasons for doing that. He just cut his classes. He's an honor student, dammit. Honor students do not impulsively get out of their classrooms and go joyriding with their stupid neighbors. Not that that was his intention in the first place. He was just going to talk to the moron, tell him to go away and stay away from his school. Anyone might've misunderstood it and thought that he was cutting classes. Including Orochimaru.

He shuddered as he remembered how they were almost caught. His parents would have had a field day when they found out. _If_ they found out.

_Which they won't_, he thought with conviction.

Sasuke glared again at Naruto who was happily whistling to a song playing on the radio.

_It was all the idiot's fault!_

He opened his mouth to start the verbal abuse but the blonde beat him to it.

"Hey, I love this song!" Naruto happily exclaimed as he increased the volume of the car stereo.

"Oi-"

"D'you know this song, Sasuke?" the blonde asked, his blue eyes twinkling as the trumpets in the background signalled the start of the song.

"I-"

"Of course, who doesn't!" he laughed, answering his own question.

"Wait-"

Naruto faced him. _"I don't remember what day it was..."_

Singing. The idiot was singing.

_"I didn't notice what time it was..." _He grinned. "C'mon, Sasuke! Sing with me!"

"No, I-"

He looked at Sasuke seriously. "_All I know is that I fell in love with you..."_

Then the blue eyes were lost in view as Naruto did his 'happy smile', turning his eyes into inverted U's.

_"And if all my dreams come true..."_

"Watch the road! Watch the road, idiot!"

Naruto faced the road, still with his 'happy smile' face. _"...I'll be spending time with youuu" _He opened his eyes. "Sasuke, you're not singing!"

"I don't-"

_"Every day's a new day in love with you..." _The blonde started again. _"With each day comes a new way of loving you..."_ Naruto smirked. "I won't stop until you sing, Sasuke!"

The raven-haired boy groaned.

_"Every time I kiss your lips my mind starts to wander..."_

Naruto turned towards the road again and scrunched his eyes. _"And if all my dreams come true, I'll be spending time with youuu"_

Blue eyes invaded Sasuke's vision again.

_"Oh, I love you more today than yesterday..."_

_This is so not happening, _Sasuke thought.

_"...but not as much as tomorrow..."_

"Sasuke, your turn!"

The mentioned boy made the mistake of staring at thos big, blue eyes. The same mistake he made when they were at the restaurant the other day. He felt like drowning and floating at the same time. And he knew that he wouldn't be able to say no, couldn't say no, as long as he's staring at those eyes.

Sasuke sighed in defeat. In the most monotonous voice he could muster, he continued the song, _"I love you more today than yesterday..."_

Naruto grinned widely, closing his eyes in the process, then joined Sasuke, _"...but, darling, not as much as tomo-ho-rrooowww"_

- o -

Sasuke walked towards his locker. He looked a bit surprised as he noticed both Lee and Chouji by his locker, looking like they were waiting for him. He didn't ask them, though, just proceeded in gathering the books from his locker.

Chouji was the first one to break the silence.

"Hey, Sasuke..."

"Hm?" he turned towards the other boy.

"We haven't seen you in Physics for the last three days.." Chouji looked a bit worried.

Sasuke turned to Lee who was nodding his head but has yet to say something.

"Should we be worried?"

The raven-haired boy closed his locker and leaned on it. His eyes darted from Chouji to Lee, two of his closest friends, no, _only _friends. He couldn't see any reason for them not to know.

"It's my stupid neighbor's fault," he shrugged nonchalantly. "He's too stupid to be left alone. Who knows what stupidity he would do if I'm not with him..."

Chouji and Lee looked at each other then grinned.

"I knew it!" Lee excalimed, pumping his fist in the air. "The springtime of youth has finally arrived for our Sasuke!"

Sasuke cringed.

"He has finally found someone worthy enough to spend his youthfulness with!"

"Lee, stop!"

Chouji laughed heartily and patted Sasuke on the back. "It's all good, then! Whoever this neighbor of yours is must be a genius!"

Sasuke gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

The bigger boy gave him a thoughtful smile. "Because in the course of our 12-year friendship, we've seen you the happiest in this past week..."

"Aa..." Sasuke leaned his head back on the locker and stared at nothing in particular. Amidst Lee's declarations of youthfulness and Chouji's laughter, he voiced out the thought that he was itching to ask.

"Is it-" he started but never got to finish as Chouji interrupted him.

"We're cool with it."

Balck eyes regarded Chouji. The once chubby, little boy who cried in kindergarten when a 6-year-old kid stole one of his potato chips. Sasuke beat up the bully and gave Chouji three packs of said chips so he would stop crying.

He turned his attention to the grinning Lee who was giving him two thumbs-up. The weird-looking boy who nobody wanted to pair up with in art class during 2nd grade. Sasuke partnered with him and announced to the class that he was the best partner anyone could get because everyone else was stupid.

Sasuke gave them both a sincere smile. The 'thank you' beneath it recognized, no need to be said out loud.

"You never have to hesitate on us, remember that!" Lee said as he hooked his arm on sasuke's neck.

Sasuke nodded.

"Okay!" Chouji announced. "Because of that, we need to celebrate!" he began opening a bag of chips, but Sasuke snatched it quickly.

"Oi, this is the third." He moved the chips away from Chouji's reach.

"Aww... Nooo!" the bigger boy moaned.

"Such youthfulness! It is indeed a time of celeb-"

"And no celebrating!" Sasuke yelled as he walked away from the locker.

"Noooo" both boys cried out.

- o -

Naruto laughed.

"You have cool friends," he said on his position at the foot of Sasuke's bed. He was sitting on the floor, his head on top of the bed.

"I know," Sasuke answered. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, his back on the headboard, books and notebooks scattered in front of him. He scribbled something on the notebook he was holding.

"I bet they're funny, too," the voice on the opposite side chuckled. "It'd be great to meet them."

Sasuke stopped writing and looked at Naruto who was still on the floor, his face turned towards the ceiling.

"Do you have any close friends from your old town?" he inquired.

Naruto raised his head from the bed and turned to look at Sasuke, a wistful look on his eyes.

"Yeah, I do."

He got up from his position from the floor and flopped in front of the other boy, stomach first. He placed both his hands under his chin.

Sasuke closed the notebook on his hand and placed it on his right side. He raised his eyebrows at naruto, willing him to continue.

"I met them when I was 12."

The dark-haired boy frowned at the fact that the blonde met his close friends when he was already twelve. He didn't ask anything, though.

"They were both older than me by 4 years." The blonde rolled to his left, so he was now lying on his back. "When I first saw them, I thought they were the most beautiful girls I've ever seen."

_Ah, so his friends were females,_ Sasuke thought.

"The two of them, they spoiled me to death," Naruto continued with a chuckle. "Never a day went by that I didn't feel like I was very much taken care of..."

"Were you involved with any of them?" Sasuke blurted and almost slapped his forehead for not being able to stop himself.

Naruto tilted his head upwards. "Nah, that'll be like incest or something. I'm not into that," he stucked his tongue out. "Plus, i don't wanna be involved with a heavy puncher or with a mind reader. Too creepy."

"I see."

The blonde rolled back to his previous position. He supported himself with his elbows, but he didn't raise his head to face the other boy. "It was people like them who made me realize that my life didn't suck that much," he said in a sombre tone.

Sasuke didn't understand, but he felt it. Felt the sadness, the pain that Naruto must've went thru.

He reached out his hand to lightly pet Naruto's hair as a form of reassurance, of comfort...

"I'm not disturbing anything, am I?"

Sasuke quickly pulled back his hand at the same time Naruto's head snapped up towards the direction of the voice.

Sasuke glared at the intruder leaning lazily on his door. He got up from his bed and marched towards the door.

"Get out of my room."

He heard Naruto straighten himself from the bed.

"But, you haven't introduced me to your friend yet," the third person drawled.

"Get. Out."

"I'm not leaving until you introduce me to your friend," he nodded towards Naruto who was now standing by the bed.

Sasuke's hands fisted and he exhaled sharply as he grudgingly obliged to the third person's request. He turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, this is Itachi. The _thing_ that was born before me," he introduced, his voice full of venom. "Itachi, Naruto. Now, leave!"

But before he could shove his older brother out, the other man sidestepped him and was quick to find his place beside Naruto.

"Hello, Naruto," he offerred his hand.

"Hey, howr'ya?" Naruto gladly shook his hand. "Only someone stupid or blind wouldn't recognize you two as brothers," his pointed finger darting between the two Uchihas, "You two look so much alike!"

Apparently, that was the magic phrase that woken Sasuke from his stupor. He stomped towards the two and glared daggers at Itachi.

Itachi, immune to his younger brother's antics, ignored him and stared at Naruto. He tilted his head to the side, seeming to contemplate the familiarity in the boy. He couldn't quite put a finger to it, but that didn't stop him from commenting about it.

"You look familiar, Naruto..."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. He looked away from the older man, avoiding his gaze.

"R-really?"

The younger Uchiha was beyond pissed. Itachi had the audacity to barge into his room and order him to be introduced. _Can't he see that he's making Naruto comfortable? _he mentally seethed.

He grabbed Itachi's arm and dragged him to the door, away from Naruto's personal space.

"For the last time, stay out of my room!" he yelled before he slammed the door to his brother's face.

"Sorry about that," he said. "My brother's always been a weirdo. That's why I never bring friends over."

"Aa," Naruto replied as he scratched the back of his neck.

Sasuke didn't think much of what Itachi must've said or done to make Naruto nervous. Itachi didn't have to say a word and people cowered from him. He deeply empathized.

"You don't like your brother much, huh," Naruto stated rather obviously.

Sasuke snorted at the statement.

The blonde sat on the bed. "Tell me more about it?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto's smiling face. "Not here. He might use the information he hears as material against me in the future."

Naruto laughed at that. "Okay, then. Let's go out and grab something. Then, you can tell me everything!"

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice.

- o -

A lone, orange car was parked on the outskirts of Konoha. It was on top of a hill, overlooking the rest of the town. Once upon a time, Sasuke would have admitted that it was a special place. A place his family used to frequent for picnics back when he used to be a kid, when he used to look up to Itachi.

The place was nothing but a vacant, lifeless area now. Just like his brother.

"Itachi was the best son any parents could ever have," Sasuke mused as he and Naruto sat on the hood of the orange car. Naruto was digging into a pint of strawberries-and-cream flavored ice cream while Sasuke on a classic vanilla. Sasuke wanted to point out that they look like two gossiping, teeny-boppy, high school girls but with the sudden seriousness in Naruto's demeanor, he decided to keep quiet about it.

"He has the top grades, good in sports, an effective leader," he continued. "Did everything our parents asked him to. It was always 'Yes, Father' or 'Yes, Mother'. He wasn't the best, he's the _perfect_ son all parents, at some point, wished for."

The raven-haired boy eyed his companion, still intently listening to him, a forgotten spoonful of ice cream in hand.

"Those types... They're the worst brother any younger sibling could ever have," he chuckled bitterly. "I was never good enough, smart enough... He was the standard my life was based on."

When Naruto didn't respond, he went on, "Itachi graduated high school with top honors. Got accepted at Konoha University as expected. It was our Father's proudest day." He stared at the sight below, the city lights twinkling like stars at a distance. "Why wouldn't he? His eldest son perfected the mapped-out life he planned."

Sasuke looked down to his ice cream pint, only to realize that it has been reduced to a melted state. He wrinkled his nose as he began to twirl the spoon inside the container.

"Halfway through college, Itachi had a car accident." Sasuke frowned as he recalled _the_ incident. "An accident that involved drugs and alcohol. A parent's worst nightmare." He sighed. "The doctor said the alcohol content in his blood exceeded the limit. There were also traces of marijuana in his blood. Father didn't believe him."

Sasuke clearly remembered their Father's livid state when the doctor implied that the accident was Itachi's fault.

"And the highlight of that night? Finding out perfect Itachi wasn't coming to any of his classes for the past six months," he said, his voice clipped. "He ditched school for a whole term, spent his tuition fee and allowance to god-knows-what, he even joined a gang! Can you believe that?!"

The image of an unconscious Itachi lying on a hospital bed flashed to Sasuke's mind.

"Stupid Itachi," the ounger Uchiha said softly. "If that was his way of delaing with the pressure Father placed on him, then he's not worthy of being my older brother."

He turned to the blonde who just discarded his ice cream and replaced it with a can of beer. He was smiling.

"You don't hate your brother," he teased.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"Of course, I hate him! He didn't have to do that! He almost died! He...he..."

"See, you don't hate him," Naruto repeated.

Sasuke frowned and faced forward again. What Naruto said was the truth. He didn't hate Itachi. He will always be the brother he looked up to.

Nobody's perfect, he told himself that when he entered Itachi's hospital room that day two years ago. His older brother was no exception. He had a moment of weakness and the way out that he went for was not a wise decision.

_No one really knew what Itachi wanted to do with his life. No one bothered to ask him... _

But, he's alive and well at the present. Although Sasuke wasn't one to think of sentimental values and such, he was grateful for that particular fact.

Naruto was right. Sasuke didn't really hate his brother after all.

- o -

After another round of beer, both boys talked about almost everything under the sun.

Almost.

Sasuke blinked dazedly as the effects of the alcohol took its toll on his body. He wasn't going down with a fight, though. Not until Naruto told him something personal about himself.

"You haven't told me about your family yet..." he said in the best sober voice he could muster.

"I told you, there's nothing to tell," Naruto replied, his cheeks tinged red from the beer they've been consuming.

"Hmp."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Really, Sasuke, there's nothing to tell... Seeing that I don't know who my real parents are, _were, _to begin with..." he trailed off.

"Oh." Sasuke groaned mentally. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

The blonde boy waved him off. "It's alright. Not your fault." He continued, I was an orphan for as long as I can remember. I got adopted when I turned 8."

Blue eyes regarded Sasuke. "Now that you know the premise of my story, would you still like me to continue?"

The raven-haired boy merely nodded.

"The man who adopted me was the best father I could ever ask for. He was the nicest man I've ever met, probably because he's been teaching kindergarten for years... He's used to dealing with brats 24/7," the blonde chuckled.

"We weren't really well-off back then. A teacher's salary isn't enough to raise a growing boy, but we were happy..." The blonde looked down. "He died when I was 12."

Sasuke was at loss for words. He could only say what he thought was the most appropriate for the situation. "I'm-"

"Sorry?" the other boy finished for him. He shrugged. "Told'ya, it's not your fault. Besides, you were the one who insisted me to talk about my personal life. So don't go acting all depressed on me!" He grinned.

Sasuke thought Naruto's grin didn't quite reach his eyes, or maybe it was just the alcohol talking. After all, he did have quite a bit more than what he usually drank.

"They said it had something to do with the lungs... Probably got it from overworking and poor living conditions," the blonde shrugged again. "I wasn't listening closely enough about the details..."

"What-what happened to you after?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smiled at him. "A family friend of his took me in." His smile didn't leave him as he turned his gaze back to the city view. "A big, loud, perverted, old man. The worst possible grandfather figure I could ever ask for," he laughed softly. "Not that I'm complaining. I love the old man."

"So, you lived with him then?"

"Yeah," the blonde nodded. "He said he'll give me food to eat and a place to live so long as I work for him."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. _That sounded a bit suspicious. _"What kind of work?'

"Errand boy," Naruto answered. "I help clean his office, deliver stuff, make coffee... Nothing a 12-year-old couldn't handle," he explained.

"Aa," Sasuke replied. The raven-haired boy blinked slowly, the action taking a lot more effort than expected.

The other boy noticed it and snickered. "Oi, Sasuke. Would you still like me to continue?" He brought his tanned face closer to the pale one. "Or is my story boring you so much? You can't even open your eyes!"

Sasuke huffed. "I may not look like it, but I can still hear and understand you, idiot!"

Naruto laughed. "Alright then." He sighed and went on with the story. "When I turned 15, old man said he's gonna promote me. For a few weeks, I observed the job that I was gonna get. He said that's for me to know if I was ready for it."

"And?"

"Of course, I took it," the blonde said somewhat proudly. "You remember the two best friends that I mentioned earlier? That's where they work, too."

Sasuke nodded. "I remember. The girls."

"Yep, the girls," Naruto affirmed. "Unfortunately, one can't have too many friends in a workplace."

"What do you mean?"

"People started talking about me and the old man behind our backs," he answered. "Something about favoritism and not deserving the job..."

"And then what happened?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Told the old man I'm gonna look for a different job. Don't want him to be talked about because of me..." The blonde rolled his eyes. "Of course, he said no. Said it doesn't matter. He might not look like it, but he's really a good man."

Sasuke nodded again and felt the world turn. He willed the dizziness away. "Seems like it," he managed to say.

Naruto grinned at him. "But being the stubborn kid that I am, I was able to convince him. I told him he doesn't have to worry 'bout me and that I'm gonna be able to get a job on my own." He blew blonde bangs away from his eyes. "I told him that once I'm able to get another job, I'll work hard and I'll pay him back for everything he has done for me."

"Let me guess, he declined," Sasuke said dryly.

"Whoa. You're good at this," Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke only grunted in reply.

"Anyway, I was able to get myself a job, although the nold man didn't seem to happy about it..."

Sasuke leaned back on the car window. He noticed he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the other boy.

"Why is that?"

"The job that I got was similar to the one I had with him," the blonde explained. "He was hoping I'd stray away from that business..."

Sasuke frowned. He was a bit confused. _What was wrong with his job anyway?_

"Plus, I was working for his rival."

Sasuke hmm-ed, his mind trying to analyze what Naruto said. It was a little hard, especially since his mind was slowly turning into mush. And the fact that he was feeling Naruto's body heat didn't help at all.

Naruto, who seemed sober enough, much to Sasuke's dismay, continued on with his story.

"So, I worked with that other guy... Have to keep on convincing the old man that I was doing okay there." He took another swig from his beer. "It took awile before he could accept it, though."

The raven-haired boy's head slowly slid to his left and landed conveniently on Naruto's shoulder. The other boy didn't seem to mind.

"So, yeah. Worked with that guy for three years... Decided I had enough of it... Then, I quit." He exhaled slowly. "And here I am."

And then, something clicked on Sasuke's mind. The important thing that was hovering on the back of his alcohol-induced brain.

"Idiot, you didn't tell me what your job was..." he said trying to minimize the slur in his words.

But Sasuke was too sleepy, too dizzy, heck, he was even too content with the way his body was leaning toward Naruto, to care about the other boy's response. He barely heard the "Nothing important." reply of the boy beside him nor the mumbled "When I'm not much of a coward, maybe I will tell you.." that followed.

Whatever it was, he didn't bring himself to care. Because at that moment, sitting beside Naruto on the hood of an orange car parked on top of a hill overlooking Konoha was enough.

For now.

**- tbc -**

**kaesaku:** Sorry, if the writing's a bit off. I haven't written in a while. I also don't have a beta. Never had one. So if anyone's interested, message me. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3: Hands Down

**kaesaku:** The official NaruSasu theme song has been born! Because of _American Idol_ David Cook's popularity, his rendition of Mariah Carey's _Always Be My Baby_ has been played for like every other hour in every other radio station. And yes, it is the ultimate NaruSasu song. And an ultimate LSS (last song syndrome)…

Thanks to the anonymous reviewers from ff – **phil(lip)**, **darkneko66** and **ArcticOokami**. Also to all the reviewers from aff.

Huge thanks to my beta, **Simple-Minded Idiot**.

This chapter is for my friend/officemate/teammate, err, ex-teammate, **Albert**. Straight guys who read yaoi rock.

**Warnings:** yaoi, NaruSasu, shit my mind is made off

**Standard disclaimers apply.** I don't own Naruto, The Girl Next Door, and Dashboard Confessional's Hands Down.

**Chapter 3: Hands Down**

_"...my hopes are so high that you're kiss might kill me,_

_so won't you kill me,_

_so I die happy.."_

-Hands Down, Dashboard Confessional

Headphones found its way on the head of a raven-haired boy. Charcoal eyes slid shut as the disc inside the player, signaling its start, began to turn. A pair of pale hands were on each side of the ear piece, intently listening to the song being played.

He was lying on his bed, on his stomach to be more exact, and had been there for a good twenty minutes when he felt a presence in his room. He opened an eye and turned his attention towards his door.

There, he saw his blond-haired neighbor, whose blue eyes were trained on him, leaning on the door.

The boy on the bed hooked an index finger on the headphones' strap. The action released the headphones' grasp on his head, letting it dangle on his neck.

"You know, if you want me to notice you, you could've knocked," he started, "or talked. I don't have ESP."

The other boy gasped. "Really now? I could've sworn you do!" he exclaimed in mock-surprise. "How else were you able to know that I'm standing here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes while the other boy grinned.

Naruto pushed himself away from the door and strolled towards the bed.

"So, what'cha listening to?" The blond pointed to the player. "Which band? Is it cool?"

"It's not some band, idiot," Sasuke replied. "It's Spanish."

"Oh, like Enrique Iglesias?"

Dark eyes glared at him.

"Ricky Martin?"

And glared some more.

"J.Lo?"

And glared some more.

"Or her husband, Marc Anthony?"

"They're Puerto Rican!"

"Aha, so it's Marc Anthony!"

"No-- I don't-- It's not--" Sasuke stuttered.

"Sasuke, it's alright!" The other boy patted him a little too hard on the back. "Liking Marc Anthony won't get in the way of our friendship!"

The Uchiha boy mentally cringed as he realized that the other boy whose blue eyes wide and shining was completely serious. He took a deep, slow breath.

"Naruto," he said in an even voice. "I do _not_ like Marc Anthony."

"It's cool--"

"I am _not_ listening to his CD," he interrupted.

"But I thought--"

"I am listening to a Spanish Conversation CD."

"Oh, so--"

"I am taking this as an elective this year."

No response.

Naruto blinked, then, slowly, he nodded in understanding, his mouth forming an 'o'.

_Finally,_ Sasuke thought. _The moron finally got it._

"So then, where is your Marc Anthony collection?"

A pillow on the tanned face was the answer.

"Ow! Sasuke! I was just joking!" The blond tried to shield himself from the other boy's non-gentle pillow slaps. "Stop it! I was just joking!"

Sasuke stopped the pillow abuse but not the glaring. Although, it did crack after a nanosecond and was replaced with the two boys' laughter.

"You're a real idiot, you know that?" Sasuke said as he shook his head, his voice having a hint of affection.

Naruto laughed even harder. "And you being friends with me makes you...?"

"A bigger idiot," Sasuke promptly answered.

The two boys laughed again.

After the laughter died down, Sasuke reached for the Spanish book and the CD player, which were both left unattended on his bed, and placed them on top of his bedside table.

He froze as he noticed something. He was _still _smiling. Not just any smile, but that soft, gentle, genuinely happy smile that made one think of clouds, rainbows, and pink cotton candy.

The Uchiha set his lips back on its usual grim line so quick that no one would have noticed it. But someone did. And he could feel that someone's eyes on him.

He stole a quick glance to the other boy and, sure enough, blue eyes were watching him. Uchiha Sasuke was caught making the cotton candy smile, a totally un-Sasuke-like facial expression. He almost flushed in embarrassment. Almost. Because instead of seeing a teasing grin, what he saw were blue eyes that widened in surprise -- or was it something else? -- and that were hastily averted from his face and forced to focus on something as trivial as the cracks on the wall.

His head started generating appropriate assumptions to what he just witnessed, but then the loud, annoying -- and forced, definitely forced -- voice of the other boy broke through his thoughts.

"...Sasuke?"

"Huh?" was Sasuke's intelligent response.

Naruto looked suspiciously at him. "I asked you something."

The raven-haired boy racked his brain but couldn't remember what the blond asked. It was the fault of those evil assumptions, making him lose attention.

"Which is...?" he stalled as he grabbed the glass of water by his bedside table and took a sip from it.

Naruto gave him a deadpanned look. "I said I was hot..."

Water burst out from the Uchiha's mouth...

"...so I suggested we go swimming," Naruto continued, "and you just gave me a very appropriate answer."

His face was dripping with water that was sprayed from Sasuke's mouth.

It took a minute for Sasuke to react. When he finally did, he jumped from the bed to grab a towel from his drawers, tripping on his feet in the process.

"Dammit," he hissed as he rubbed his left leg with one hand while offering the towel to Naruto with another.

"Geez, bastard," the other boy said as he grabbed the towel, "you could've just said you didn't want to," he wiped his face vigorously, "...but no! You had to decline in the most dramatic way and go Old Faithful geyser on me!"

The almost-flush of Sasuke's face earlier had turned to a full-fledged one. The gods of karma, he concluded, had decided that today was the day to collect his payment for all the times he sneered, insulted, or mocked a faceless someone.

_Floor, I command you to open up and swallow me whole!_, he thought.

"Bastard didn't even say he's sorry..." he heard Naruto muttering.

"It was your fault for saying something stupid," Sasuke snapped back to hide his embarrassment.

_Wash him up with water from your mouth then insult him, way to go._

He ignored the sarcastic comment from his brain and continued, "Besides, only an idiot like you would have failed to notice that our house doesn't exactly have a pool to swim in," he crossed his arms, "and to think that you've been hauling your ass here for the past few weeks... You blind or something, moron?"

Naruto squawked indignantly. He pointed an accusing finger at the Uchiha. "Oh sure, let's insult the guy who I just sprayed with water from my mouth!"

The Uchiha turned red at that.

"I know you don't have a pool, asshole! I meant the pool at the clubhouse!"

And he thought he couldn't get any redder.

Naruto hmph-ed and crossed his arms. "It's decided. We're going there now! And you can't say no! Not after washing my face with fresh Uchiha water!"

Approximately eighteen minutes later, the two boys found themselves in front of a padlocked clubhouse gate.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Since the clubhouse is closed, should I go and drink more water so I can spray it on other parts of your body?"

The other boy gawked at him. "You would like that, don't you?!"

Sasuke blinked as he realized the implication of what he just said.

"I-- wha-- no--" he stuttered (again) to the blond who was stomping his way back to the orange car. "It was just a joke," the Uchiha mumbled. "A sarcastic joke." He followed the blond towards the car.

Naruto was still frowning, pouting was more like it, for not being able to go swimming. Sasuke thought it was childish. But then, the other boy seemed really excited about it. He sighed. There was nothing they could do about it.

As if on cue, the boy on the driver's seat shifted suddenly and, with an exuberant voice, yelled, "Sasuke! I got it!"

"Huh?" Again with the intelligent responses.

Naruto bounced from excitement. "I found the solution to our problem!"

"_Our_ problem?"

The blond nodded vigorously.

At Naruto's newfound enthusiasm, Sasuke found it hard to correct the other boy that it wasn't _their _problem to begin with, seeing that the raven-haired boy never agreed to be part of the whole swimming advocacy. But the smile blinded him once again and he lost any intention of doing so. He just didn't have the heart to.

- o -

"Idiot, _this_," Sasuke emphasized, "is not _our_ problem! It's _your _problem and I am not going along with _your_ so-called solution!"

"Aww, but you just said--"

"I take it back."

The orange car was parked outside an unknown and currently uninhabited house in the far end of the village. Sasuke wanted to bang his head on the car window after hearing Naruto's back-up plan to the clubhouse swimming trip.

"Sasuke, it's fool-proof! See that," he pointed to the house. "No lights. Gates locked. It means no one's home. And that," he pointed to a slim opening on the fence at the side of the house, "will lead us to where we want to be."

"You want to be," Sasuke corrected him.

Naruto grunted. "Fine, fine. So, let's go. We're wasting precious minutes chit-chatting here."

"Trespassing is illegal in most countries," Sasuke icily said. "That includes the one we're currently living in!"

"That's why we _hurry up_! We sneak in, get naked, take a dip, and get out. Just like wham, bam, thank you, ma'am!"

Sasuke eyed him warily.

"...or, err, something like that. Ahehehe..." Naruto scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm not doing it."

Naruto panicked. "Bastard, you can't not do it! You promised! C'mon, please! It'll be really quick. We'll be out there before the owner finds out!"

Sasuke watched Naruto with impassive eyes but he, too, was slowly panicking in the inside.

_He's doing it! He's doing the doe-eyed-pouty-lips combination! I'm not gonna say yes! I'm not gonna say yes!_

"How can you be sure that they won't arrive while we're in there?"

"I'm not!" Naruto grinned. "That's what makes it exciting!"

Sasuke smacked him. "Idiot, you just said--"

The blond raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'm not sure about that. But the good thing is that fence." He pointed to the slight opening again. "The first thing that they'll do when they arrive is to open the house lights and we'll be able to see that from the pool. We'll make a run for it once that happens."

Sasuke carefully considered what the other boy said.

The pool was in the backyard. The residents of the house would have to go inside the house through the front door, then open the lights before they could go about roaming the house. They wouldn't be able to get to the pool without announcing their presence first was what Sasuke thought when he saw the sliding glass doors adjacent to the pool. Unless they decided to sneak to the side via the dented fence...

_Which is unlikely_, Sasuke countered.

He turned to Naruto, his mind made up with a decision. Naruto gave him a hopeful look.

"You owe me a big one for this, Uzumaki," he said evenly.

Naruto slowly smiled. The same cotton candy smile that Sasuke had been seeing -- and doing -- a lot lately.

"I'll be ready when you collect."

The two boys nodded to each other and got out of the car, which was partly hidden in the bushes. They didn't bother locking up so it wouldn't be a hassle when it was time to escape.

They got inside smoothly. The house was definitely deserted. It was a little dark; it flitted to Sasuke's mind that it was a little after five when they left their house.

"Yahoo! Success!" Naruto exclaimed. He took off his shirt and started unbuttoning his pants.

That got Sasuke to panic.

"O-oi, what're you doing?"

"Getting naked. I did say our plan was to sneak inside, get naked, take a dip, and get out, right?" Naruto asked holding up four fingers, the thumb tucked away. "We're currently running here," he wiggled his middle finger.

"But-- swimsuit!" Sasuke sputtered.

Naruto rolled his eyes and swiftly pulled down his pants along with his underwear. Sasuke instinctively looked down. He mentally kicked himself and turned his attention to the pool.

"Time is the essence here, bastard. Just in case you forgot, we're doing an illegal thing." A tanned foot tested the pool temperature. "We can't afford changing to swimsuits and back." He pulled himself down the pool once he deemed that the temperature was okay. "Why? Is getting naked making you uncomfortable?"

"N-no," Sasuke replied.

Naruto snickered. "No need to be shy! If I recall, you've seen me naked and I've seen you naked. All on our first day."

Sasuke cringed as he remembered that incident. "I'm not shy!"

The boy in the pool snickered some more. "By all means, then."

The raven-haired boy pursed his lips. "Fine." He grabbed the hem of his shirt and noticed that blue eyes were still trained on him. "Do you mind?"

Naruto snorted but turned away from him. "I'm sorry if I was offending you," he said sarcastically. He turned back once he felt the water move, signaling Sasuke's arrival.

"All this for _this_," Sasuke grumbled, not meeting Naruto's eye. "I could've done this in our bathtub."

Naruto laughed. "The effect wouldn't be the same." He dipped and it took a couple of minutes before the blond head emerged again. He was on the other side of the pool, across Sasuke.

"Whatever," Sasuke said. He ignored the way his heart jumped when he saw Naruto brush the wet hair away from his face. He ignored the way his stomach fluttered when Naruto leaned back on the pool bank with his eyes shut and his visage facing the sky.

Sasuke closed his eyes and submerged himself in the water. He stayed there for as long as he could, blowing bubbles from his nose, until he couldn't take it anymore. He took in large gulps of air when he went back up.

"You okay?" Naruto asked. "You were down there for quite some time."

Sasuke grunted in reply.

"So, is the effect the same from your bathtub?"

In spite of himself, Sasuke smiled, though he didn't answer the question.

"This is the life," Naruto sighed. "You should make your parents get you guys your own pool."

"Maybe if Itachi asked, they'd say yes," Sasuke said.

Naruto laughed again. When he quieted down, Sasuke noticed the other boy's full attention on him.

"What?" he asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Hmm... I was wondering..." The tanned boy pushed himself away from the pool bank and waded towards Sasuke slowly. "What's the craziest thing you've done lately?"

Despite the cool water, Sasuke felt himself heat up. He was pretty sure it reflected on his cheeks. He was just not sure whether it was from the question or from the person who asked the question, who was currently getting nearer.

"This tops the list," he answered weakly.

"That's good to know," Naruto said softly and Sasuke wondered when the other boy got in front of him.

"Would you like to make new record?" the blond asked seriously as he took another step forward.

"What..." Sasuke took a step back and felt the tiles on his back. He was cornered. There was nowhere to go, not like he would like to be in another place anyway. "...do you mean?"

Naruto glanced at his lips and he licked it self-consciously. Blue eyes met black ones.

"Sasuke...?"

His name sounded, no, _felt _nearer.

"Yes?"

Naruto inched closer, although they weren't that far apart to begin with. A tanned arm braced itself on one side of his head.

Sasuke's breath hitched at what was about to happen.

Naruto's face leaned closer...

Sasuke's eyes slid shut...

And the house lights switched on.

The blond backed up a bit. He lowered himself on the pool, leaving his eyes above water-level.

Sasuke, still in shock, was quite disappointed that Naruto abruptly stopped what he was supposed to do. His eyes followed Naruto's movements. It was only when Naruto was beside him, hands on the pool bank, facing the sliding glass doors, that he noticed something. The house lights were on.

"Shit!" he whispered and quickly ducked his face on the pool, leaving his eyes above water-level.

"That's quite a late reaction," Naruto dryly commented. He went back to looking at the glass door.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed.

"Hey, we're both here! I assumed we both saw it when it happened," Naruto retorted. "And relax, will you? We're not seen from here. Unless she walks over to take a dip as well."

"She?" Sasuke sidled up to Naruto and slowly took a peek.

"Yeah, a she. Damn. Look at those jugs! Probably the biggest I've ever seen! And believe me, I've seen a lot!"

Naruto's comment vaguely registered in Sasuke's mind as he recognized the inhabitant of the house. His eyes widened. Of all people...

"Oh my god."

"You know her?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Sasuke said grimly. "She's Tsunade. Our school principal." He slinked back to the pool and leaned on the tiles.

Naruto's face was a cross between amusement and fear.

"We have to go." Sasuke made a move to the pool steps.

Naruto grabbed a pale arm.

"Wait. We can't go yet. We need to wait for her to move away from the glass door before we make a run for it."

"But--"

"Trust me," Naruto assured him and gave him a smile.

Sasuke's panic-stricken mind betrayed him when it sent a signal to his eyes to stare at Naruto's lips, reminding him of what they were about to do earlier.

Naruto smirked, as if reading his thoughts.

"Since it seems like it'll take awhile, maybe we can continue where we left off...?

Sasuke gulped. "Yeah?"

"Is that a yeah-what or a yeah-sure?" Naruto asked in a hushed voice.

Sasuke's eyes stole a glance to the glass door before giving a reply. "You tell me."

Naruto gave him a soft smile and inched closer. But Sasuke, as excited as he was, still got bothered at the idea of kissing on his principal's swimming pool while said principal was a few feet away. His eyes darted back and forth between Naruto and the glass door.

The other boy noticed his discomfort. The soft smile faltered a little and he stopped moving towards Sasuke. The raven-haired boy noticed it, too.

"Naruto?" he called out to the boy whose head was downcast.

The blond lifted his head, smile back in place, but his eyes held an unreadable expression.

"Let's go," he nodded to Sasuke.

Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto agreeing with him to leave was a good sign...

They quietly waded to the pool steps, picked up their discarded clothes, and dashed to the exit.

...because he sure as hell felt that, in some way, he struck out with the other boy.

On their way out, they failed to notice a blond head sticking out from the glass door.

- o -

Sasuke's friends, Chouji and Lee, spent Friday nights at Chouji's. They said it was their video game and movie night. Sasuke rarely joined them, especially these past few months because of his preparation for the scholarship speech.

Which was why it came to a surprise that someone was knocking at Chouji's door that Friday night.

"Chouji, someone's knocking," Lee said from his position in front of the TV. "Are you expecting anyone else?"

"No," he heard Chouji reply from the kitchen. "My parents aren't expecting anyone either."

Lee suddenly got an idea. His head popped from the kitchen door. "Do you think it's Sasuke?"

Chouji looked up from the salsa dip he was making. "Impossible. He's busy with the speech." He returned his attention back to the dip. "Why don't you go and check who it is?"

The taller boy gasped. "Chouji, what if it's a serial killer? How can you ask me to open the door?"

A vein throbbed on Chouji's head. "Lee, you are the best martial artist in this town. If it is a serial killer, which I doubt, you can easily kick his ass."

"I am deeply encouraged with your belief in my abilities," Lee said as he fisted his right hand and placed it on his chest.

"Goddammit, Lee! Just open the damn door!"

"Yes, sir!" he answered as he ran to the front door.

Lee opened the door widely, ready to greet (or kick) the unexpected guest. But all mental processes derailed when he saw what was in front of him.

"Hey," it said.

Before he could summon a reply, which he was sure was something that'll resemble 'ughblah', Chouji showed up behind him.

"Who is--" A clatter was heard.

Goodbye, salsa dip.

It would seem that Chouji's mental processes were headed in the same direction as Lee's.

"A little help, guys?" it asked. "I'm wet."

_It _was a boy who looked the same age as them, albeit a little taller. And with tanned skin that was inked in the stomach. With three scars on each side of his cheeks. With blue eyes and blond hair that was dripping with water.

_It_ was naked.

"Aaaaahhhh!!" Both boys screamed and hurriedly closed the door.

A pale hand prevented them from doing so.

"Sasuke?!" They both exclaimed.

Sasuke emerged from the side, stifling a laugh. They turned to the other boy who was also laughing.

"You should've seen your faces," Sasuke managed to say in-between laughs.

Both boys looked at each other and back at the new arrivals. Then, they both burst out laughing.

They'd all been laughing for quite some time when the blond spoke up. "I hate to break this up, guys, but I'm getting really cold."

"Oh, of course. Come in," Chouji said as he led the way to the den. "You must be Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "The one and only. And you guys are Chouji and Lee."

"That's right," Lee chirped.

Chouji noticed that Sasule, although fully-clothed, had dripping hair as well.

"What were you two doing that got both of you wet?"

"Swimming!" Naruto answered.

Both boys looked at Sasuke. "His idea. Long story."

Everyone turned to Naruto who, incidentally, was still naked. The boy scratched the back of his neck.

"Err, Chouji, can I borrow a towel?"

The big boy smiled. "Sure." He went up to his room to get one.

"So what were you guys doing?" Sasuke asked Lee.

"Before you arrived, Chouji was preparing the food and I was scanning the channels," Lee replied. "We weren't really planning on staying cooped up here all night."

"You guys going out?"

"Yeah," Chouji answered as he descended the stairs. He threw the towel to Naruto who caught it swiftly. "We were planning on going to Neji's party."

"Oh."

The two boys looked at each other.

"Why don't you join us, Sasuke?" Lee inquired. "Since you're already out. Plus, I'm pretty sure Naruto would like to be acquainted with other people his age."

"Yeah, c'mon, Sasuke! Let's go! Party!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke frowned. He didn't want Naruto to get acquainted with people his age. Add the fact that it was Hyuuga Neji's party...

"But it's Hyuuga's party..."

"So?" Chouji said. "Whoever's party it is, it has free food and free booze in it!"

"Forget the rivalry with him, Sasuke," Lee added. "Even just for a night."

Chouji nodded. "And I bet there'll be so many people that he won't even notice you." In a low voice, he muttered, "That'll spare the rest of us civilization with your glare wars."

Sasuke glared at him. Then, "Fine."

"Okay! Party!"

The four boys headed out to the Hyuuga's.

- o -

Chouji was right. There were lots of people. The party was packed. As how it was when a senior threw a party.

Music was blaring from the speakers, teenagers streamed in and out of the house with bottles of beer, some with paper cups filled with an unknown alcoholic mix. Sasuke saw faces he recognized, faces he didn't. It was like the whole school population was in there.

The boys walked inside the house where some people danced to the music, some engaged in beer-drinking contests, and some, unabashedly, made out with each other.

They reached the door that opened to the Hyuuga's enormous backyard and where most of the people stayed. In Sasuke's mind, it shouldn't be called a backyard. It should be called a vacant lot where another house could be built in. It was that big. And it had a swimming pool, much to Sasuke's irritation.

"Whoa," he heard Naruto say.

They observed the surroundings for a while before going off to different ways. Chouji headed to the booze and food area, Lee saw someone from the karate club, and that left Sasuke and Naruto. Again.

"So," he turned to the blond. "What do you want to do?"

Blue eyes glanced at the pool.

"No way."

Naruto laughed. "Just kidding. How about a drink?"

"I got it," a voice from behind replied.

Sasuke's blood ran cold as he recognized that familiar voice. He slowly turned and was face-to-face with none other than the host of the party, Hyuuga Neji.

_Damn Chouji!_

Neji handed a paper cup to Naruto. "My apologies, Uchiha. I only got one. Why don't you go to the kitchen and get one for yourself, hm?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"But before you do that, why don't you introduce me first to your companion?"

"You can talk, can't you? Then, do it yourself!" With that, he stomped towards the kitchen. Though he wasn't really sure where it was, as long as it took him away from the Hyuuga.

"Sasuke, wait--" Naruto started but was abruptly stopped by Neji's hand.

"It's alright. Uchiha's never been one to party," Neji said matter-of-factly. "I'm pretty sure once he gets a little booze in, he'd turn a bit sociable."

Sasuke fisted his hands at Neji's audacity to insult him while he was still within earshot. He hurriedly walked away, not bothering to hear the introductions made by the two boys.

Luckily, he made it to the kitchen without getting lost. He grabbed an untouched paper cup and quickly downed it. He almost blanched at the taste. He took a deep breath to steady himself and grabbed another paper cup. He carelessly threw it to his side when he was done and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

That was when he realized that, in a hurry to get away from the Hyuuga's oppressing presence, he forgot all about Naruto. His blond, idiot-of-a-neighbor (which, hopefully, would turn into something more) was left alone in the evil clutches of his rival.

The raven-haired boy scrambled from his position in the kitchen and hurriedly went on his quest to retrieve the blond.

He noticed that they weren't on the place where he last saw them. Black eyes scanned the crowd and finally landed near the pool where, true enough, he saw Naruto still talking (and laughing, that idiot!) with the Hyuuga.

He slowly made his way to the two but was stopped by a grip on his forearm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Sasuke glared at the hand and at the person who it belonged to.

"Aburame Shino."

The boy, who was one of Neji's friends, looked at Sasuke, his eyes hidden through sunglasses.

"Isn't it a little dark to wear those?" Sasuke scoffed.

The other boy ignored the insult, but didn't loosen the grip on his arm.

"Let go."

"Don't ruin his party."

Sasuke sneered at him. "Do I look like I give a shit about his party?"

"Leave, Uchiha."

To others, Shino was one of the intimidating guys in Neji's clique. But Sasuke didn't back down. He _never_ backed down.

"I don't care about him or his stupid party. I came to this place with that boy," he pointed at Naruto, "and I'm leaving this place with him.

Shino's grip slowly loosened. If Sasuke could see Shino's eyes, he would've seen a look of respect with a hint of amusement in it.

"Then go and take him back."

Sasuke turned away from Shino and resumed walking towards the pair.

_Hyuuga Neji._

That name had always left a bitter taste to his mouth whenever he mentioned it.

The two of them had been bitter rivals ever since he could remember. Not just the two of them, but the whole Uchiha and Hyuuga clans.

It only became worse after the Itachi incident.

Neji was his competition in everything. Grades, leadership, the scholarship speech... And now, even Naruto.

Sasuke stalked towards them, his presence giving off a murderous intent. But when he was only a few feet away from them, he stopped.

_It wasn't about Neji._

He looked towards the pair again, Neji talking in-between sips and Naruto smiling, even laughing, every now and then.

Everything fell into place and Sasuke saw everything in a new light. It didn't matter if the other person was Neji or not. It didn't matter if it was his childhood rival or a nameless someone. Because, at that moment, Sasuke realized that regardless of whoever the other person might be, if Naruto gave his smile, his laugh to someone else other than him, it hurt. It hurt so bad.

The raven-haired boy crossed the few feet between them. The Hyuuga was the first to notice his presence.

"Uchiha, what took you so long? I thought--"

He placed a hand on Neji's chest and pushed him back a little. He wedged himself between the other boy and Naruto. The Hyuuga let out an indignant sound, but he was none of Sasuke's concern at the moment.

His only concern was...

Naruto raised his eyebrows inquiringly at Sasuke. Before he could voice out his question, a pale hand snaked its way to his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Sasuke saw blue eyes widen in surprise. They slowly slid shut after the surprise wore off.

Naruto's lips were soft and wet and nice.

Sasuke shifted closer so he could get closer to that, closer to Naruto. He felt the other boy's hands hold onto his waist, one of them slowly moving to the small of his back. He felt Naruto's teeth pulling at his lower lip, coaxing him to open up for the other boy. Sasuke willingly obliged and made way for Naruto's tongue. The raven-haired boy moaned at the sensation and raised his other hand to cup Naruto's face so he could get closer, much closer.

So close that he could taste Naruto's breath mingled with his, so close that he could feel Naruto's heart beat against his own, so close that he could see Naruto's eyes reflecting what it saw on his...

Amidst the catcalls and the cheers from the party people, Uchiha Sasuke's world narrowed to that small space between him and Uzumaki Naruto.

It was the place where he had his best, first kiss.

**- tbc -**


End file.
